For the first time since the Nov. 6 election, partisan bickering trumped bargaining Thursday as Democrats and Republicans vied for the political high ground in talks to avoid year-end tax increases and spending cuts that threaten harm to millions of middle class pocketbooks.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Oil rose for the first time in four days as the U.S. economy expanded more than previously estimated last quarter and on optimism that President Barack Obama will reach an agreement with Congress over a new budget.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell 23,000 to a seasonally adjusted 393,000 last week. It was the second straight drop after Superstorm Sandy had driven applications much higher earlier this month.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The economy in the U.S. expanded more than previously estimated in the third quarter as a narrower trade deficit and gains in inventory overshadowed a smaller gain in consumer spending.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Oil rose for the first time in four days in New York after U.S. stockpiles declined unexpectedly and political leaders in the world’s biggest crude consumer expressed optimism about agreeing on a federal budget.

An index measuring the number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes in October jumped to nearly its highest level in almost six years. Steady job gains and record-low mortgage rates have made home buying more attractive.

The U.S. economy grew at a 2.7 percent annual rate from July through September, much faster than first thought. The strength is expected to fade in the final months of the year because of the impact of Superstorm Sandy and uncertainty about looming tax increases and government spending cuts.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Continental Airlines Inc. won a bid to overturn its manslaughter conviction for the deaths of 113 people in the crash of Air France’s Concorde supersonic jet almost 12 years ago.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Authorities would have to get a search warrant to obtain older e-mails that can now be obtained without a judge’s permission if a measure approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee becomes law.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The worst level of drought in the contiguous 48 U.S. states reached its highest point in a year as the dryness that crippled crops, narrowed shipping channels and thinned livestock herds hangs on.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. birth rate last year fell to its lowest level since at least 1920, led by a decline in the number of babies born to immigrant women, who have been driving the growth in the nation’s population for two decades.

In a major test of presidential power, federal appeals courts are starting to hear legal challenges to President Barack Obama's decision to bypass the Senate in appointing three members to the National Labor Relations Board.

Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) -- An antibody discovered by Amgen Inc. researchers reduces weight and increases glucose tolerance in monkeys, according to a study, potentially opening up a new approach for treating obesity and diabetes in humans.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Landlords and property brokers in lower Manhattan and other low-lying sections of the region worry that damage from Hurricane Sandy may prompt tenants to look elsewhere for space, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said.

Microsoft's Surface tablet running a full version of Windows 8 Pro will start selling in January for $899 and up, the company said Thursday. But you'll have to pay more if you want a keyboard cover and the popular Office suite of software.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs doesn’t have to give former service members’ small businesses preference for all contracts, a federal judge said, rejecting the position of a government watchdog agency.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- American International Group Inc. and Allstate Corp. are among insurers to be evaluated by New York regulators for their response to superstorm Sandy, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, won final court approval to sell its assets and eliminate about 18,000 jobs in a liquidation that an adviser said has drawn “fast and furious” interest from potential buyers.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar fell toward the weakest level this month against the euro as optimism U.S. lawmakers will reach agreement on efforts to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff damped demand for safer assets.

Two ticket holders will share the highest Powerball jackpot ever, and the second-largest top prize in U.S. lottery history. The question is: Who are the winners waking up to new lives as multimillionaires?

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Tiffany & Co., the world’s second- largest luxury jewelry retailer, cut its annual profit forecast for the third time this year after higher diamond costs ate into margins and customers curbed spending in weak economies.

Nov. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Treasuries were little changed after reports showed the U.S. economy expanded more than previously estimated in the third quarter and fewer Americans filed first- time claims for unemployment insurance payments last week.

Standing along a South Dakota waterfront shored up with boulders, Kevin Jens peered at the placid lake and reminisced about a road that led to a popular place to fish and picnic nearby but now lies underwater after being swallowed up by rising waters.

Voracious demand for wood to feed factories for exports and satisfy wealthier consumers at home has turned China into a magnet for the illegal timber trade, causing other countries to strip their forests as Beijing does little to discourage the practices, an environmental group said in a report released Thursday.

An effort to build the Western Hemisphere's largest seawater desalination plant faces a key test as San Diego's regional water agency decides whether to buy all its output despite criticism that cheaper alternatives may be overlooked.

An Islamist-dominated panel tasked to write a new constitution for Egypt began voting on Thursday on the document's final draft, a move likely to stoke a widening political crisis over decrees giving the nation's Islamist president near absolute powers.